List of light sources
This is a list of sources of light. Light sources include light bulbs and stars like the Sun. Reflectors (such as the moon, cat's eyes, and mirrors) do not actually produce the light that comes from them.
Incandescence
Incandescence is the emission of light from a hot body as a result of its temperature.
- Black-body radiation
- Carbon button lamp (Defunct)
- Earthquake light
- Halogen lamp
- Incandescent light bulb
- Lava
- Nernst lamp (Defunct)
- Volcanic eruption
Combustion
Lamps
- Argand lamp (Defunct)
- Argon flash
- Carbide lamp
- Betty lamp (Defunct)
- Butter lamp
- Flash-lamp (Defunct)
- Gas lighting
- Gas mantle
- Kerosene lamps
- Koniaphostic light, see Limelight
- Lanterns
- Limelights (Defunct)
- Oil lamps
- Tilley lamp
Other
Nuclear and high-energy particle
Celestial and atmospheric
Luminescence
Luminescence is emission of light by a substance not resulting from heat.
Aventurescence
In gemology, aventurescence (sometimes called aventurization) is an optical reflectance effect seen in certain gems.
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is light resulting from biochemical reaction by a living organism.
Cathodoluminescence
Cathodoluminescence is light resulting from a luminescent material being struck by electrons.
Cryoluminescence
Cryoluminescence is the emission of light when an object is cooled.
Crystalloluminescence
Crystalloluminescence is light produced during crystallization.
Electric discharge (Electrical energy.)
- Electrodeless lamp
- Excimer lamp
- Fluorescent lamp
- Compact fluorescent lamp
- Tanning lamp
- Black lights
- Geissler tube
- Moore tube (Defunct)
- Ruhmkorff lamp (Defunct)
- High-intensity discharge lamp
- Hollow-cathode lamp
- Induction lighting
- Neon and argon lamps
- Dekatron (Defunct)
- Nixie tube
- Dekatron (Defunct)
- Plasma lamp
- Xenon flash lamp
Electrochemiluminescence
Electrochemiluminescence is light resulting from electrochemical reaction.
Electroluminescence
Electroluminescence is light resulting from an electric current being passed through a substance.
- Light-emitting diodes
- Organic light-emitting diodes
- Polymer light-emitting diodes
- AMOLED
- Light-emitting electrochemical cell
- Electroluminescent wires
- Field-induced polymer electroluminescent
- Laser
- Chemical laser
- Dye laser
- Free-electron laser
- Gas dynamic laser
- Gas laser
- Ion laser
- Laser diode
- Laser flashlight
- Metal-vapor laser
- Nonlinear optics
- Quantum well laser
- Ruby laser
- Solid-state laser
Mechanoluminescence
Mechanoluminescence is light resulting from a mechanical action on a solid.
- Triboluminescence, light generated when bonds in a material are broken when that material is scratched, crushed, or rubbed
- Fractoluminescence, light generated when bonds in certain crystals are broken by fractures
- Piezoluminescence, light produced by the action of pressure on certain solids
- Sonoluminescence, light resulting from imploding bubbles in a liquid when excited by sound
Photoluminescence
Photoluminescence is light resulting from absorption of photons.
- Fluorescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation
- Phosphorescence, the delayed re-emission of light by substance that has absorbed it
Radioluminescence
Radioluminescence is light resulting from bombardment by ionizing radiation.
Thermoluminescence
Thermoluminescence is light from the re-emission of absorbed energy when a substance is heated.
See also
References
External links
- A CD spectrometer Color spectrographs of common light sources